For years, working with teachers and trainers, I always told them my motto when working with technology in the classroom - "Semper Gumby". For those of you who understand Latin, you may recognize this phrase. I stole the "Semper" from my years in the Coast Guard. Our motto there was Semper Paratus - Always Prepared. So, my motto then is loosely translated as Always Flexible. With technology in the classroom, flexibility becomes a skill that it is imperative that most teachers/trainers learn.
Have you ever had the perfect lesson ready in a killer PowerPoint, only to have the bulb burn out and not be able to get a replacement until tomorrow, or worse, next week? Ever had a computer programming example ready to demonstrate and have a hard drive failure? These two examples (and yes, they are both real) are but a few that have plagued technology teachers throughout the years.
Teaching Tip in Technology #2: Always have a backup plan, when using technology in education. If you have to have paper copy, code written out so that you could copy it on a whiteboard, or simply a lecture ready to go, have a backup plan. You never know when technology will rear its ugly head. So, Semper Gumby - That is Always Remain Flexible, But Be Prepared.
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Amen & amen! It is so true, you always need a backup plan and not just for technology.
ReplyDeleteI love the youtube video about the escalator that breaks down with two people on it. The individuals on the escalator forgot that a non-moving escalator becomes a set of stairs that you can still walk up and down on. These individuals then wait for the repair person to bail them out and the repairman arrives only to get on the other escalator which gets stuck moving upward. The repairman is paralyzed because he can't get to the controls without a moving escalator.
As a society we have become so dependent on technology that we overlook the simplest back up plan, like a whiteboard, or lecture, or a set of stairs.
I take this lesson concerning flexibility to heart. When I read I often think of other applications that the author may not have intended... so being flexible about just about anything in life helps me run my life more smoothly. And the lesson of not completly relying on technology in the classroom makes merealize how I rely on technology too much in the rest of my life. To draw a parallel with the escalator example, my kids will not wash dishes if the dishwasher malfunctions. Sometimes technology makes us less likely to come up with innovative solutions on our own??
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